Product Review “Loot Crate – July 2014 – Villains”

Loot Crate is a epic monthly subscription box for geeks and gamers for under $20. You are getting at least $40+ Retail Value in every crate, most of the contents are exclusive to Loot Crate! So be sure to subscribe to have bragging right against your friends. You also have a chance to win Mega Crate with $750+ Value! This is the first time that we have received Loot Box (and hopefully not the last). I came across an ad on Facebook and couldn’t help but requesting one and helping spread the word.

Loot Crate isn’t messing around with its partners either. They only have the best including Capcom, Marvel, DC Domics, Star Wars and Nintendo. So you are guaranteed to get something amazing each month for sure. This month focus is on Villains, so if you dig that be sure to check out our video unboxing below to check out what great goods is included in July’s crate.

There are three ways to sign up for Loot Crate:
1 month plan $13.37/mo + $6 S&H
3 month plan $12.37/mo + $6 S&H
6 month plan $11.67/mo + $6 S&H

Click here to sign up your own Loot Crate subscription!

Click here for our first video unboxing of this latest Loot Box:

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You can tell that a lot of planning went into this loot crate. Who doesn’t love Villains. Even though they are bad guys doesn’t mean they are bad guuuuyysss (Anyone see “Wreck it Ralph”?) Inside the July pamplet, there is a great interview with Marvel Artist Skottie Young. There is a listing of Loot Crate’s Top 5 Video Game Villains. It is unveiled which treats were included in the Mega Crate for this month including a 60″ LED TV 1080p and a Marvel Labbit Venom Figure and more, so congrats to those subscriber that got that.

In case you don’t feel like watching the video, here are the items included in this month’s Loot Crate:
1. Joki Villain T-Shirt (Mash-Up for Loki and Joker)
2. Exclusive Rocket Raccoon Comic
3. Harley Quinn & Joker Posters
4. Deadpool Socks
5. Necessary Evil: Super Villains of DC Comics DVD
6. Darth Vadar Key Chain
7. Bowser 3×3 Magnet

Product Review “ASUS MeMO Pad 7”

After experiencing the ASUS Transformer T100, I wanted to see what else ASUS had new to offer. I came across the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 7-Inch 1 GB Tablet, but from the moment I took it out of the box, I knew I wasn’t thrilled. The tablet takes quite a while to turn on, which is probably since I have been playing with a Acer Chromebook, which boots in a mere seconds. The tablet is too big for one hand and too small for two hands, so I felt awkward trying to maneuver it in my hands. ASUS is saying that this is one of their thinnest and lightest MeMO Pads, so it is definitely small but in terms of lightness, I felt that it had a little extra weight to it then I actually expected. If I take my iPad Mini compared this, it is not much lighter.

The technical guts of the device are as follows: 1.33 GHz Quad-Core Intel Atom processor, Android 4.4 KitKat. It comes with an 16 GB Storage expandable by 64 GB with micro SD, 1 GB RAM. There is also a 2 MP Front Camera and 5 MP Rear Camera with Auto focus (1080p Video Recording). Besides the boot time, the device is otherwise pretty smooth since it comes with a powerful Intel Atom Quad-Core processor. The picture quality on the device is also solid. The colors are vibrant, clear and bright with the IPS Display with 170-degree wide viewing angles.

Some of the features that are included with this are ASUS HomeCloud, which is a one-stop destination to access your video and music streaming across cloud storage. It also auto-uploads photos from your device. The camera has several different neat features including Time Rewind, which allows you to rewind your photos and never miss an important moment. All Smile, which gives you to the option to pick the perfect smile. Smart Remove gives you the option to easily remove unwanted moving objects from your photos like photo bombers. Last is Auto Selfie, which takes high resolution selfies with the rear camera without worrying about missing a person.

Other features at the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 include is a brand new interface called ASUS Zen UI. It is customizable to your own personality. It comes with eMusic to play and download music with your given 75 complimentary music downloads from ASUS. Also includes is Zinio, which gives you access to 5000+ digital magazines from around the world and you even get 6 free Mini-Subscriptions to your favorite magazines and a $10 voucher at registration. Lastly since this is only 16GB storage, there is the ASUS WebStorage Service available, which allows to you get 500GB of online storage free for 2 years. So you see that there are some decent features included with this device but I personal wasn’t very wowed. I would rather stick with a slightly larger and more functional Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Product Review “Acer C720P Chromebook”

I have been testing numerous tablets, laptops and other computer-like devices recently and I have been trying to find the perfect device for me to use as a backup to my desktop and smartphone. Well, I think I have found it with the Acer C720P Chromebook, which is actually Acer’s First Chromebook with Touchscreen. It is 11.6 inches, measures only 0.78-inches thin and weighs only 2.98 pounds. This is great device to take on the road and be able work remotely.
Acer already has the industry-leading Chromebook line and they are only sealing the deal by adding a 10-point touch display, which only makes this more convenient. Even though this has a mouse track pad and keyboard included, I like the option of being able to tap and swipe your way through navigating on it. In fact, the Chrome OS also has custom gestures built-in, so you are able to tap, swipe, and pinch to zoom just like you would do on your tablet or smartphone.

The device lasts up to 7.5 hours of battery life and boots literally in a mere seconds. I mean this thing is lightning fast. It includes the latest Intel® Celeron® processor based on Haswell micro-architecture. This device also has a fantastic tilt angle of up to 145° which gives the best view of the screen since I am usually lying down when working. It also has the option to extend to a bigger screen or television using the HDMI port.

So all this talk about how great this device is but in case you don’t know Chromebooks are not laptops and they are not tablets. They are basically used for browsing the web and also come with popular Google products built in: Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Hangouts. You are able to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings with apps like Google Docs, Zoho and SlideRocket. Plus the Chrome Web Store offers thousands of free apps, themes, and extensions to help you make the most of your Chromebook.

The Chronebook comes with only 2GB of space but you are able to take advantage of up to 100GB of free storage on Google Drive the first 2 years after purchase. The Acer C720P Chromebook also connects with dual band Wi-Fi and even comes with 12 free Gogo Inflight1 passes, which is worth about $150 bucks and can be used on continental U.S. flights of participating airlines. Another thing that I love is that these machines are virtually virus, malware, spyware, adware free and being an IT guy myself that is always a bonus.

So I have been shopping various Chromebooks in the last few months and this Acer C720 Touch is easily the best that I have seen on the market. If you are looking for something that is light, powerful and very easy to use that I cannot recommend this anymore. Plus this device only would run you around $299.99, which is much cheaper than a laptop or any iPad. Highly recommend this for sure! Another great Acer product.

Product Review “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Z-Line Water Tower Washout Playset”


I wish they cool toys like this when I was a kid. With the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Z-Line Water Tower Washout Playset” you can literally build a city and then use your “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” character to zip-Line from wall to wall. It is pretty cool once you get it all setup and going. I have been a fan of the TMNT since the 80’s and I have a two year old daughter and we bought really enjoyed this!

This does not come with any “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” figures but it will most with any of the new Turtles figures or even the old ones as well. I tested my old 1980’s Michaelangelo and it worked perfectly. The directions were easy to put this together, if you are wondering how it holds on the wall, don’t worry there are no screws involved. It is held by 3M tape, which could work well or not well due to your texture on your wall.

The Water Tower Washout is not the only playset available either. There are three other playsets available including a Window Wipeout Playset; Billboard Breakout Playset and Fire Escape Free Fall Playset. These are connectable so you can wire up the entire room with these Z-Lines. Some parents might not dig this too much but I totally think it would be awesome to have the whole room as a Z-line obstacle course.

Here is what is included in the box: Water Tower Play set, 4 Command Strips from 3M, 4 wall clips, 1 gargoyle launcher, 1 C-Clamp, 2 tension cylinders, 2 Z-line pulleys, 1 two-hand handle, 1 one hand handle, 2 48″ Zip-line, 1 72″ Zip Line, 1 Angle Gauge. It definitely requires some parent’s assembly but once it is up and ready. It is very easy to manage and use. Also priced very well, this is a great product for any fan of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, young or old.

Product Review “Turtle Beach Ear Force PX4”

It is not easy to be a gamer and also have a young child. I recently just purchased a Playstation 4 and I was dying to get lost in the system after putting my daughter to sleep. I could do so but I had to keep the volume so low it was taking some of the fun out of the experience. I wanted to give this system a real test run. Well, the answer to this problem can simply be resolved with the purchase of this fine product, Turtle Beach Ear Force PX4, which is a Wireless Dolby® Surround Sound headset

When I am playing a game, I like to get immersed in the game and listen to all the fine details and enjoy the score. This is honestly, the best and only way to do that. The PX4 allows you up to 15 hours of uninterrupted play on your video games sytems including the PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. But the fun doesn’t stop there and you are able to also use this amazing headset to enjoy watching content on your Netflix account or even any of your Blu-Ray movies. The surround sound is absolutely impressive.

Besides just listening to your games or movies, this headset also has a receiver that allows you to stay connected with friends and teammates with chat audio for each system. The headset used Dual-Band Wi-Fi Wireless Technology that is interference-free with audio and chat. A really cool feature that I actually didn’t even know about until writing this review is the ability to dual-pair the headset. So you are able to link your Bluetooth on your phone to be able to answer mobile phone calls without ever leaving the game or pai with ANY Bluetooth communication device, such as a PC, laptop or tablet. Tell me this is MEGA cool!?

For those audiophiles out there this headset also takes advantage of multiple EQ presets including bass and treble boost combinations plus separate game and chat volume controls. You can adjust your experience by changing the positioning of the surround sound. You can even connect a second audio source (such as a phone or MP3 player) to the transmitter to listen to music when done gaming. Chat volume automatically increases as the game volume gets louder.

At first, I was a bit concerned about having to wear a headset for a long period of time but Turtle Beach really delivered a product that specialized in comfort. It is thickly padded with adjustable headband and breathable mesh ear cushions. What I really like is the fact that the built-in rechargeable battery delivers up to 15 hours of continuous play and you can even charge while playing (if you are close enough to your system). All and I, I couldn’t have been anymore excited for this release and if you are a gamer, I highly recommend this!

Product Review “Keurig K45 Elite Brewing System”

Who doesn’t love coffee? I am not the kind of person that in order to start the day needs to have a cup of coffee but I do though my coffee very much. I also would much rather make a cup at home and bring it with me than stopping at a Starbucks, 7-11 or any other store on my way into the office. In the past, I have always made a whole pot of coffee, take a cup and leave the rest or end up drinking much more than I wanted due to a whole brewed pot. Personally, when I thought of getting a Keurig systems in the past, I never liked the idea that it just made one cup. Well, my eyes have been opened since the new Keurig K45 Elite Brewing System is a dream come true and has completely sold on the product.

When Keurig promotes the fact that they get “The Perfect Cup Every Time”, I had to be skeptical. Literally when I brewed my cup, the temperature was spot on and there was a great balance of water blended in. I initially tasted five different cups and each one was simply outstanding. So flavorful and fresh! This system is said to be ready and brews in under one minute, whether it is coffee, tea, hot cocoa or iced beverage and there is nothing but truth that There are three cup sizes to choose from and for us travelers there is a removable drip tray to accommodate travel mugs. A cool feature for this system is that it also comes in new colors in partnership with Pantone, including: Rhubarb, Patriot Blue and Coconut White

This package includes a Water Filter Kit, which should be changed out ever 2 months or every 200 cups for optimal flavor. Also included is a bonus 12 count K-Cup variety box to show off the variety that Keurig posseses. The flavors are Green Mountain Coffee® Breakfast, Green Mountain Coffee Hazelnut, Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend, Caribou Coffee Caribou Blend, The Original Donut Shop Regular, The Original Donut Shop Decaf, Eight O’Clock The Original, Starbucks Pike Place Roast, Barista Prima Coffeehouse Italian Roast, Celestial Seasonings English Breakfast Black Tea, Cafe Escapes Chai Latte, Swiss Miss® Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa. I am torn between The Original Donut Shop Regular and Eight O’Clock The Original being my favorite.

There is absolutely no shortage in variety when it comes to the Keurig. There are over 250 different gourmet brands to choose from. We all know how important coffee is to some people and Keurig aims to make sure that you can have your options. Whether it is coffee, tea or even hot cocoa, Keurig give you many choices. hot or even cold…this unit can even brew over ice for your favorite chilled beverage. For those who are concerned about space, the dimensions of the unit is 13.0H x 9.8W x 13.3D. The system also includes a quiet brew technology and a removable 48 oz water reservoir…honestly what more can you ask for? This is my first experience with a Keurig system and I have to admit, I think I am hooked…now I am curious to see what other types of systems they have.

Product Review “Dyson DC59 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner”

About 5-6 years ago, I was really getting stressed out about cleaning out house. We have three cats at the time and between the fur and litter everywhere, it was just a mess. We literally went through three vacuum in a few months and were not satisfied with anything we got…this is till we discovered the Dyson brand. Wow, I have never been so happy with cleaning using their products. On thing that still caused me occasional issues is the cord. I wanted a vacuum with the power and efficiency of a Dyson but without a cord.  Well, my prayers have been answer with the new Dyson DC59 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner.

This vacuum cleaner is one of the most sleek and downright coolest vacuum that I have ever seen. Like I mentioned it comes with no cord and no hassle. It has a docking station, which is setup to be wall mounted, that charges the machine. So it will be ready to use whenever you need it and most importantly you will not need to keep plugging and unplugged the vacuum at each room. We do not have a big house but during our weekly cleaning, we have to plug and unplug three times in order to clean the entire house. Now, all that extra work has been eliminated.

So I am sure you are wondering, how long this thing is going to last on a charge. Well, it is quite impressive running at 24 minutes of cleaning time when using the run-time enhancing trigger. It also claims to suck up as much dust as a conventional vacuum and when I tested it, I was very impressed. In fact, this actually has 75% more brush bar power and removes more dirt from carpet. It works just like my big Dyson, better in fact. It is much quieter and weighs about barely anything.  I love that is has a balanced build, so it is not top heavy at all. All the key components are located around the grip for easy handling from the floor to the ceiling.

Speaking of handheld cleaning, with this vacuum there is no more awkward hose. This Dyson DC59 comes with a brand new brush bar which includes a direct-drive motor for edge to edge cleaning. Other additional tools are included as well to clean tight gaps, on the stairs and in the car. I have a two year old daughter and let’s just say my car needs a cleaning from cheerios to cookies all on my car floor. I would have never done this in the past because I would have had to drag the big vacuum in the garage, find a place to put it in etc but this new cordless vacuum changed that entire experience and made things much easier. You can now just remove the long bar as seen above and connect a smaller brush and it works like a mega powerful dust buster.

If you are not impresses yet, then let me throw some big technical terms at you describing just how amazing this is. Firstly like all Dyson products, this comes with a two-year warranty on parts and labor, which is a such a great reassurance (and being an owner of a Dyson for over 5 years, we have never needed this). This vacuum is powered by the Dyson digital motor V6, which spins up to 110,000 timesa minute – up to 3 times faster than conventional motors. The DC59 also using 2 Tier Radial cyclones and carbon fiber cleaner head technology. It seems weird to get excited about a vacuum cleaner, so trust me I realize that but this is not a vacuum cleaner it is a work of art. Dyson is changing the world of cleaning and this is easily one of their best products. I highly recommend it.

 

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Product Review “Asus Transformer Book T100”


If you are wondering “What is the Asus Transformer Book T100?”, it is a 2-in-1 ultra portable laptop with a detachable 10′ tablet. Asus has really been putting out some amazing products recently. This was the first of hopefully many that we managed to request to review for the site. Most people today a tablet or for the average user it would be an iPad. I am tried of an iPad where you don’t have any freedom to do what you want to do. I was looking for something that I could use for both work and play and this tablet definitely delivers in both departments.

Even though, the Asus Transformer Book T100 is a tablet, it has laptop like performance with the latest Intel Atom Bay Trail-T quad-core process and running Windows 8.1 operating system. So you have the option to use it as a tablet or attached keyboard and use it like a mini-laptop. All the features are there including Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013, which comes pre-installed and Windows Store stocked with Xbox Live games and music. The battery like is decent with the ability to last 11 hours web browsing. It is not like an iPad but you can do so much more with this you have to expect the battery to be drained faster.

Let’s get to some of the tablet’s core features now. Even though the system’s storage comes in a mere 32GB/64GB, what this does have is UNLIMITED ASUS WebStorage, which is not only cool but amazing! It does a file synchronization update for every item instantly as modified and added. The display is a very sharp 1366 x 768 IPS with wide viewing angles. It is able to output full HD video via it’s Micro HDMI port. The sound includes built-in high quality stereo speakers. I am a music man myself, I felt that there could have been a little extra “umph” added to these speakers personally.

The style of the complete device itself is rather cool. I like being able to just snap the keyboard on and off and work via touch screen or via laptop. My main concern with this though is in fact the size of the keyboard, maybe I have fat fingers but I had a terribly hard time typing on this keyboard, especially when using the shift key. Also, I would have loved….loved this to have had a back light on the keyboard since I spent a few nights trying to position the light from the screen to the keys in order to see what I was typing. That feature would have made this much more attractive to me in terms of using it since in terms of its features are otherwise pretty great.

Now I didn’t go much into the full HD video option, which can be connected via it’s Micro HDMI port, I took this on a trip with me (with the proper cable) and I was able to play videos for my daughter in the hotel TV right from the tablet. Since there is nothing worse that hotel TV, this literally made the trip. Traveling with this also was a treat because it is extremely mobile. The Asus Transformer Book T100 is not only one of the lightest ultra portables available right now, running at 2.2 lbs, it also one of the lightest 10-inch tablets (solo from keyboard) running at a mere 1.2 lbs.

So if you are a casual tablet user and looking for something light, portable and feature packed this will be the device for you. This is not a full laptop that you can be gaming on. It looks amazing with Netflix and other games though especially “Tiny Death Star”, which is a blast to play on this little device. The device is also extremely affordable running around MSRP $399 and Red and White colors are due to be available later this month!

Product Feature: “Escape Goat 2” Indie Box – June 2014


Are you a fan of independent video games? Well then you need to subscribe to IndieBox ASAP. This month is the companies second monthly mystery subscription box. What it does is that it gives collector’s edition treatment to great indie games. This month’s release is “Escape Goat 2”, developed by MagicalTimeBean and published by Double Fine Productions. When you subscribe to IndieBox you get Retro-style Collector’s Edition boxes jam packed with tons of goodies and they are simply delivered to your door – every month for as low as $14.99 a month (+$3 US S&H). IndieBox is the only monthly subscription box that aims to recapture the nostalgia of the traditional video game boxes.

IndieBox not only teams up with indie video game companies to release their comes in a collector’s edition game box, they also feature handpainted artwork with reimagined game cartridges, full color manuals, CD soundtracks, posters, and much more. The June IndieBox includes: Cover Art by Kailyn Boehm, Custom USB Game Cartridge for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux, Steam Key, 24-page Color Manual, Original CD Soundtrack, Additional Bonus Track by Video Game and Chiptune Guitarist Danimal Cannon, 11”x17” Poster, Stained Glass Static Cling Decal, An official CubeeCraft Papercraft of the Goat, Keychain the Mouse Companion and Escape Goat 2 Themed Vinyl IndieBox sticker.

IndieBox is growing very fast and have increased their subscriber count from 150 to 400 over the last month. You know what that means, more subscriber = cooler monthly releases. If you missed signing up for this month release, a copy of the Collector’s Edition of “Escape Goat 2” can still be purchased for a limited time at http://indiebox.myshopify.com while supplies last. Since last month’s game, “Teslagrad”, sold out in 36 hours, IndieBox has created an additional 200 copies of “Escape Goat 2” to help meet the demand. So if you are a fan of indie video games and aren’t subscribes to IndieBox, I highly recommend it for sure!

 

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Product Review “Godzilla with Light and Sound”

Paperback: 16 pages
Publisher: Running Press Miniature Editions
Act Nov St edition
Release Date: May 6, 2014

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Godzilla is back and better than ever! Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures are teaming up with the goal to make Godzilla cool again. Eat it Matthew Brodwick! Running Press is getting on the fast track to release some cool new merchandise. This kit includes a figurine of the monster that is not only bad ass but also comes with light and sound. When you press his spine spikes you get the light from his mouth getting ready to unleash his atomic ray and of course you also hear his iconic roar.

Besides the figurine, there is also a small sticker book included with Godzilla illustration. I think Warner Bros, did an awesome design with the new design of Godzilla and the figurine pays a great homage to the character. My only issue is that the roar is not so powerful as it should be. I wish they cranked up the volume a bit. If you are a Godzilla junkie like myself I would recommend picking this up since it is the first in the tons of planned merchandise for this film.

Product Review “Disney Infinity Figures: Rapunzel & Wreck-It Ralph”

Disney Infinity Series
Platform: Nintendo Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3
Disney Interactive Studios
Exclusive Release

Rapunzel: 4 out of 5 stars
Wreck-It Ralph Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Since the release of Disney Infinity late August, I have been obsessed with this game. There are so many endless possibilities and Disney has been releasing so many great characters this year. Two of the latest figures released are Rapunzel & Wreck-It Ralph. They are also from two of my favorite movies of all-time…yes all-time! My daughter seriously watching “Tangled” at least 3-5 times a week and I try and watch “Wreck-It Ralph” at least once a month. I was really excited to give these characters a go in the Toy Box mode in Disney Infinity. They do not have their own world’s like “Toy Story” and “The Lone Ranger” but you can at least transform your Toy Box into their respective themes since both “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph” has Texture and Terrain Power Discs, which were available in Series 1. I would highly recommend both of these characters.

What is great about these both is that they speak to both male and female audiences. Obviously Wreck-It Ralph is no question going to be over so well with the “boys” and Rapunzel will be a must for the “girls”. My daughter in fact loves both of them equally…given she is only 18 months old but from the minute I took them out of the box she is carrying them around (even in the car) when I am not playing them in the game.  Wreck-It Ralph has a really cool special attack, in which he throws cherry bombs that when hits the ground or it’s target explodes and looks like something from an old 8-bit game. Ralph also runs and pounds the ground with his fists and he destroys everything or everyone in his path. Rapunzel is quite fun as well, she has a killer special move, which is a called Frying Pan Bash. Frying pans…who knew right? Sorry I’ve seen this movie was too many times. Plus there is nothing cooler than see Rapunzel piloting a Recognizer from “TRON” personally (another favorite of mine).

Overall, they are really well designed and look quite amazing. I love Rapunzel’s animated look and I also love her pose as well. That seen in the movie when she gets to the town and gets her hair braided is so sweet. Wreck-It Ralph has little subtleties as well that I love that he a really cool 8-bit sound when his attacks are done. Totally cool for a retro gamer like myself. There is tons of fun to have with these characters and I have a feeling that I have only just began to explore the many possibilities to enjoy with these.  I really can’t wait to see what they have planned for 2014 because this year will be very hard to top. Currently the Wreck-It Ralph and Rapunzel figures are sold exclusively at certain retail stores. Wreck-It Ralph is available only at Best Buy and Rapunzel is only available at Wal-Mart…if you can find them due to the holidays.

Product Review “Genius SlimStar T8020 Wireless Multi-TouchPad Keyboard”

When it comes to keyboards, I have to admit, I am a bit of a snob. Since I am at the computer 8-10 hours a day, I need something that is going to be easy to use and kind to my wrists. It also has to be wireless since I don’t always like to be crunched over a desk. When I saw that Genius was a new slim wireless multi-touchpad keyboard, I was certainly interested. The main selling feature of this keyboard is the fact that it supports Windows 8 gestures and is optimized for use with the new Windows operating system. I think that is a really cool feature to add to this device.

I think for anyone that has Windows 8 (and struggling with its new features), this keyboard would be a nice answer. The SlimStar T8020 allows you to switch between three different modes on the touchpad – mouse cursor, Windows 8 gestures, and numeric keypad. I like the option here since it adds a lot of feature to the keyboard itself. I was able to play around with this with my father’s new Windows 8 laptop and the new gestures do come in VERY handy being able to slide, swipe, swipe from four edges, zoom in/out, and page up/down. But what is even cooler is that these gestures just aren’t specific to Windows 8 since they also work in Windows 7, Vista (shame on you if you still use this) and even XP. So there is fun to be had for every PC user.

The keyboard is very sharp looking and if you didn’t get it from the name, it is extremely slim and compact. It is less one inch thick and weighs less than a pound. There are 11 function keys for media control, Internet access and computer power off. It uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology giving you the ability to work over a distance of up to roughly 50 feet (if you can even seen the screen that far). Genius’ SlimStar T8020 is now available in North America for the suggested retail price of $44.90. I would say it is must for any new Windows 8 users definitely.

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Product Review: Genius Gaming Arcade Stick for PC & PS3 (Arcade F-1000)

I grew up when arcades used to be very popular and there was nothing like coming home from school and spending the afternoon at the arcade. Unfortunately those days are passed use with today’s high-def video game systems and vanishing arcades. Well, Genius has an answer to your prayers for all us hardcore gamers by bringing the arcade-quality control home for use with your PC or PS3. The new gaming arcade stick, Arcade F-1000 is a great way for us hardcore gamers to get that arcade feel while being in the comfort of our own homes.

This great item can be used on today’s games like “Street Fighter”, “Tekken” and even the “Call of Duty” series. Like I said it works with both PS3 and PC systems, even with Windows 8 operating system (Sorry XBOX you miss out here). I have to admit playing with this brought me back to the old days. It delivers the classic arcade feel yet it is so integrated with today’s games that it works so well.

Now let’s get to the details of the actual device. This comes with a standard 4-axis 13-button joypad and supports turbo function, so you have more precise control that an arcade layout provides and helps you get to the next level while playing action and shooting games. I have to admit, I have always been playing games on the PC but this really gives a great transition to crossing over to the PS3 with this arcade stick. What I like most is that it is not a cheap piece of plastic, it has a quite durable and sturdy metal base. It is not too heavy though weighing in at 1.866 kilograms.

The Arcade F-1000 lastly comes with 3 meter cable and 1 meter extension cable if you need the extra room and this really benefited my setup quite well. I remember my old NES controller with its 12 inch wire and we used to have to sit right in front of the screen before the days of wireless. This great item is now available in the US and Canada for the suggested retail price of US$59.99. I think it is worth every penny and will deliver a new or retro video game experience for sure.

Product Review “Necomimi: Brainwave Controlled Cat Ears”

If you are wondering what the heck is Necomimi, well that was what I was also asking myself. Necomimi are cat ears that are honestly controlled by your brainwaves. When you are focused, your ears perk up. When youy are in the zone, the ears wiggle up and down. When you are relaxed, the ears drop down. These are super cool and very easy to Use. I have knew that there was this type of cutting-edge technology available. But the Necomimi is even research-graded and trusted by over 400 universities. The are totally safe, with only two light-touch sensors on your forehead and ear. So if you are looking to impress your friends pick up a pain and be one of the first to communicate with brainwaves! The only downfall that I see about these picking up as a trend is the steep $99.99 initial price. But I guess you can expect to get an item that is brain controlled for pennies.

So if you are looking for a fun, quirky addition to either a parties, heading the conventions with cosplay, or just to impress your friends and family.  You might want to wear Necomimi! It is hard to believe that you can now express yourself without even talking.  The good things about these ears are also that they are changeable. EVen though Halloween just past, they offered the change to purchase Devilish Horns, which were priced at $24.95. There are also many other choices of ears, including Obsidian Black, Minky Brown, Jungle Leopard, as well as the signature white cat ears. Find the custom ears on the website at www.necomimi.com.

Here is some info about the company behind Necomimi: 
NeuroSky, Inc., a bioelectronics company, is the leader in Brain-Computer Interface technology for consumer product application. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in San Jose, CA, NeuroSky works with industry partners, developers, as well as academic and research institutions to provide innovative products and solutions across a wide range of industries. Grounded in more than 60 years of research, NeuroSky’s precision-grade technology has taken proven research EEG (electroencephalograph) technology and evolved it for application to the mass consumer market by making it more user-friendly and cost-effective.

 

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Product Review “theKube2” MP3 Player

Bluetree Electronics
Supports microSD card up to 32 GB (a 4GB microSD card is included)
Includes a card reader for file transferring
Built-in rechargeable Li-Polymer battery
Play-time up to 6 hours

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

When I heard that Bluetree Electronics was releasing the World’s Smallest Touch MP3 Player, I couldn’t help it but be interested. Let me introduce the theKube2. It isn’t called theKube for no reason since it literally measures at just one cubed inch. The touch screen is used for audio navigation and control and is rather user-friendly. The sound on this little device is very impressive. When it comes to battery life, that is key when it comes to handheld devices. TheKube2 packs six hours of playback in one single hour USB charge. This device is also expandable with storage. It comes with 4GB microSD and supports microSD card up to 32GB. Since theKube2 is bland it also is customizable with its design and has full body, changeable skins.

Now that we delivered all the neat features, I still have a problem with theKube2. I thought it would have been a neat gadget to just pop in and go but I still stick with my iPhone (or any other Smartphone for that matter) over this device. I was thinking this would work great with the gym or running but there are already great armbands made for all smart devices. With all the devices out there now, I feel that this would most likely work best for kids that don’t cellphones yet and need a MP3 player. Obviously they would want a iPad or iTouch but given the cost this is an good alternative…if you are just looking for an MP3 player.